Shauney,
Where in So FL. I am in South Kendall behind Metro Zoo. I've had my pool for about 5 months and here is what I know about the heat and owning a pool in So. FL.
-Most people I have asked in Miami keep their CYA 70-90 which according to this forum is too high unless you have a SWG. I have kept mine under 50 (according to this forum)and actually average around 40 and have not had a problem. I use about 2ppm of Chlorine a day. for my size pool that is .5 gal of 10.5% chlorine. I mention this because I was confused with what the locals were telling me and they all said due to the sun and heat my Chlorine will not last. So far, no algae, no shocking at all, using BBB method and clear water. If I upped the CYA I will need to up the CHlorine to around 8ppm which is double. Some times I do not add chlorine because it gets to 5ppm which my range is 3-5. In the future I might test higher CYA levels but I have a good foundation and don't want to mess with a good thing.
- The pool stores around my area have great prices and they are some what knowledgeable. The information they give me that contradict this site I take with a grain of salt and ask them to explain why. I then come on this site and verify by searching or asking. People on this site are more open minded, I had to add 6lbs of CYA at start up and asked a Pool guy if he has heard of adding CYA to a panty hose and hold over a return to dilute it faster and he laughed and made a comment as if I was stupid or something. A lot of people swear by this technique on this forum so I tried it any way. Guess what, it worked in front of my own eyes, I feel sorry for that guy and the people who listens to his advice.
- Most important, test your own water. You will be suprised by the different numbers I get from the pool stores. My TA has been 70-80 all year and my last water test at the pool store said it was 11. I checked as soon as I got home and it was 70. Once you learn how to test your own water you will know that even if you made a mistake, there is no way to make a 5-6 drop mistake at such a small number. Also they had my PH at 7.9 after adding 1 gal of acid two days prior, my PH was at 7.2 so as you can see there are sometimes huge discrepencies